"Happiness Is Homemade"

Several weeks ago, I read a talk by LeGrand R. Curtis. He titled his talk, "Happiness is Homemade." The talk was given in October 1990. I loved that little phrase: "happiness is homemade."

President David O. McKay said, “It is possible to make home a bit of heaven; indeed, I picture heaven to be a continuation of the ideal home.”

Whether in 1990 or today, I know that what these two great disciples of Christ have taught is true! True happiness comes from our family life and especially our family relationships, not from something that the world can offer us (fame, popularity, recognition, wealth, luxury).

"Perhaps the best gift parents can give their children is to love each other, to enjoy each other, and even to hold hands and demonstrate their love by the manner in which they talk to each other." -LeGrand R. Curtis

Here are some picture quotes my husband has made for me that I think tie into this topic very well. Some ways we can create our true happiness:







So much peace and joy come from investing ourselves in our family relationships.

Something I heard in my Family Finance class a few semesters ago that I really liked was that money and attention have something in common: that is that you can only put them in one place at a time. We can only put each dollar (or penny) in one place at a time. We can only truly give our attention or time to one thing at a time.

If this is true, then analyzing where we are putting our money, time, and attention, can help us see where our priorities lie, and what we really value!

The speaker who shared this is a financial adviser. Often he will ask the person or couple what they really value in life. Then he will help them analyze their spending. Maybe they say that what they value most is their family, but their actual spending shows that they really value convenience and use most of their money on getting things they want quickly and easily, leaving their family in a hard financial position. Maybe they spend so much money on a new car that they want, that they are working hard to pay off debt, and have little time or energy after work to invest in their family relationships.

I think that investing ourselves fully in our family relationships means that we pay attention to where we invest our time, attention, energy, money, etc. We care about the details of our investments, like whether or not we will invest a little more energy into being patient with a loved one or not, or whether or not we will invest a little more time into talking with a loved one who needs a listening ear.

Anyways, I believe that happiness is homemade!

Here are some happy times from our recent staycation!

BYU library DVDs and Jamba Juice!



Our first attempt at making homemade Chinese Dumplings (gluten-free!)







Not the most beautiful dumplings you've ever seen, but definitely made with love!



A play at the outdoor theater with some dear friends!



Provo City Center temple with wonderful family!



Nickel Arcade! We worked hard to earn enough tickets to buy those two whole sheets of stickers... :D



Taco Tuesday! (I like the focus put into eating that taco)



Feeling so happy



Temple Square!



Ready to watch the new "Meet the Mormons" videos in the Legacy Theater!



Authentic Brazilian food at a cafe!



Fun with cousins!



Attempt #2 at Chinese dumplings: They turned out looking better than the first attempt!



definitely because of the great help we had!









Happiness is homemade! Just like homemade dumplings, family happiness requires (and deserves!) all of our best investments: time, attention, energy, and love!